Key information
Author: Glen Smale
RRP: £20.00 (if ordered on Crowood website)
Format: Hardback
Pages: 156
Photos: 295
Published by: The Crowood Press Ltd.
BUY: Crowood Press Ltd.
From 29-31 July 2016, the Silverstone Classic was hosted at the storied Northampton circuit. Always present in large numbers, the Porsche Club of Great Britain (PCGB) put on a special display of the ‘transaxle’ cars, the Porsche 924/928/944/968 front-engined series, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 924.
It was back in 1976 that the Porsche 924 was revealed to the public, the company’s first model to feature a front engine with the gearbox and differential located at the rear, causing it to be referred to as the ‘transaxle’ series. The 924 was the lead model in this series which was followed by the 928, 944 and 968, a production run that continued for 20 years with almost 400,000 units of all four models being produced.
Glen Smale is the author of twelve books on sports cars and motorsport, seven of which have been on the subject of Porsche. “When I was approached by Crowood Press enquiring as to whether I would consider doing a book on the transaxle Porsches, I was actually very keen. Most books covering this marque tend to be on the 911, and I saw this as an opportunity to learn more about Porsche’s other models,” Smale admitted.
Porsche 924/928/944/968: The Complete Story really covers the design and development of this series, and includes the evolution of each model. The author has interviewed the model’s designers, modellers, engineers and the racing drivers who drove these cars to victory on the race track. Since it is the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first of these models, the 924, it was appropriate that this book was published just in time for this milestone.
On display at Silverstone was the iconic 924 Carrera GTP, the car that was driven to an incredible twelfth place overall in the 1980 Le Mans 24-Hour race by Tony Dron and Andy Rouse. The 924 Carrera GTP that has been painstakingly restored by Porsche Classic Partner Centres in the UK to its 1980 standard, was on display for enthusiasts to view. This car, and other transaxle Porsches that excelled in international racing, are also covered in the book.
Porsche 924/928/944/968: The Complete Story is available from Crowood Press or from good bookshops in your area.
